Such is the power of David O. Russell that he can round up a platoon of people who have prior experience working with him and convince them to squeeze into some diabolical ‘80s gear and appalling wigs for American Hustle, a loosely truth-based tale of an FBI sting operation that took down some high-profile US government types. The first official pics from the film are now online courtesy of USA Today.

American Hustle finds Christian Bale as Irving Rosenfeld, a Bronx-raised con man who raises the suspicion of driven FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper, looking for all the world like he borrowed Hangover director Todd Phillips' style from his Barry cameos).

Under threat of prison, DiMaso forces Rosenfeld and his lover/accomplice Sydney (Amy Adams) to work up the Abscam sting, which saw a US senator and five congressmen convicted on corruption charges. "That era was very much like our era now," Russell tells the paper. "The economy was not in a good place and people had to struggle to figure out how to reinvent themselves."

Also along for the ride is fellow Russell veteran Jennifer Lawrence and new recruit Jeremy Renner. American Hustle will arrive in US cinemas on December 25 before hopping across the pond to launch here on Boxing Day. Happy Christscam, everyone!